One of my favorite lessons a mentor of mine once taught me is the importance of reflection; take a few minutes every day to reflect on the day, take a half hour to an hour to reflect on the past week, take a day to reflect on each month, and take a few days to a week (or longer) to reflect on each passing year. This was taught to me in relation to life and business but it also has it’s place in Fitness.

Over the past 5 weeks, we have had a dozen C5 Athletes put their Fitness to the test in various arenas. From the World Police & Fire Games, The Central Valley Throwdown, The Granite Games, The Wild Cherry Canyon MTB and Ultra race, and The Golden Gate Park Open. These athletes all did some form of preparation for each respective event. Some for weeks, some for several months. Preparation that took commitment, dedication, discipline, motivation, and consistency in effort.

Making the time for reflection after these types of events is something that can have a HUGE impact on your success moving forward.

Did you achieve your desired outcome?

If not, why?

Would you change anything about your preparation leading up to your event?

Would you change anything about your actions during the event?

How did you feel pre, intra, and post event?

..........the "reflection" list can go on for miles.

As a Fitness Coach, I ensure that I make the time to meet with my Athletes individually to discuss their reflection of the experience and the game plan moving forward. For competitive athletes, there is so much more to fitness than just working out. It's "training" with a purpose, for a test.

YOU, the individual, must choose WHAT that test is and understand the WHY behind your desire to participate.

"Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get. Learn how to create a Fitness Journey that is fulfilling and rewarding to YOU. Ask the tough questions about what YOU want.....what YOU value.....and what YOU will gain and lose with your chosen journey. Embrace your life!"

One of my favorite questions when meeting with athletes to debrief an event/competition is; "What is the biggest lesson you learned?"

Two of my favorite answers to that question from recent debriefs;

".....I learned that I need to give myself more credit for how mentally strong I've become......"

"......I learned that I want to pay more attention to my Coaches when at the gym. When they are speaking, they are educating me on Fitness and my body. There is a lot to be learned in that setting if I make the conscious choice to listen, learn, and put that information to practice....."

The aforementioned cannot be realized without "reflection".

Make the time for reflection. It's one simple and effective practice that will help propel you forward in life!